canoes, and with a baited hair-line
jerk out small fish. If a seal is killed, or the floating carcase of a
dead whale discovered, it is a feast. Such miserable food is assisted
by a few tasteless berries and fungi. Nor are they exempt from famine,
and, as a consequence, cannibalism, accompanied by parricide."

The old seal-fisher, familiar with these facts, keeps them to himself,
though knowing the truth will in time reveal itself to all.

They get an inkling of it that very day, when the "doctor," proceeding
to cook dinner, reports upon the state of the larder, in which there is
barely the wherewithal for another meal. Nearly all the provisions
brought away from the barque were in the gig, and are doubtless in it
still--at the bottom of the sea. So the meal is eaten in a somewhat
despondent mood, as after it little will remain for the morrow.

They get into better spirits soon after, however, on finding that Nature
has furnished them with an ample store of provisions for the present,
near at hand. Prospecting among the trees, they discover an edible
fungus, known to sealers as the "beech-apple," from its being a parasite
of the beech. It is about the size and shape of a small orange, and is
of a bright yellow colour. When ripe it becomes honeycombed over the
surface, and has a slightly sweetish taste, with an odour somewhat like
that of a morel mushroom, to which it is allied. It can be eaten raw,
and is so eaten by the Fuegian natives, with whom, for a portion of the
year, it is the staple article of subsistence.

The castaways find large numbers of this valuable plant adhering to the
birch-beeches--more than enough for present needs; while two species of
fruit are also available as food--the berries of the arbutus and
barberry.

Still, notwithstanding this plentitude of supply, the castaways make up
their minds to abandon their present encampment, for a reason that
becomes apparent soon after they see themselves boatless.

"There's no use in our stayin' longer hyar," says Seagriff, who first
counsels a change of quarters. "Ef a vessel should chance to pass along
outside, we couldn't well be in a worse place fur signalling or gettin'
sighted by her. We'd hev but the ghost of a chance to be spied in sech
a sercluded corner. Ther'fore we ought to cl'ar out of it, an' camp
somewhar on the edge o' the open shore."

"In that I agree with you, Chips," responds the Captain, "and we may as
well move at once